Direct answer
What is OKF?
OKF, or Open Knowledge Format, is a Markdown-first specification for packaging knowledge as typed concept files with YAML frontmatter, source context, indexes, and normal Markdown links. Teams use it so AI agents and human readers can retrieve, exchange, and cite cleaner knowledge without depending on one proprietary platform.
Why OKF exists
AI agents need more than loose web pages and giant PDF chunks. OKF gives documentation stable metadata, clear file boundaries, and index files that make retrieval cleaner.
What good OKF includes
Strong OKF files include type, title, description, tags, timestamp, source context, useful headings, and practical task or concept sections.
FAQ
Who introduced Open Knowledge Format?
Google Cloud introduced Open Knowledge Format in June 2026 as an open specification for representing knowledge in Markdown files with YAML frontmatter.
What field is required in OKF v0.1?
The OKF v0.1 specification requires a type field in each concept file. Other fields such as title, description, tags, resource, and timestamp are useful but optional.
Sources
Next step
Use OKFConverter to generate a structured bundle, then run the validator before giving the files to an AI agent, support bot, internal search system, or retrieval pipeline.